Two Nobel Prize-winning scientists hold lectures at CityU

City University of Hong Kong (CityU) is honoured to host a series of lectures delivered by two of the most eminent scientists of the recent decades, Nobel Prize winners Professor Jean-Marie Lehn and Professor Claude Cohen-Tannoudji.

Professor Lehn, awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1987, will deliver a lecture at CityU on  30 October (Tuesday) as part of the France-Hong Kong Distinguished Lecture Series co-organised by the French Academy of Sciences, the Consulate General of France in Hong Kong and CityU.

Professor Lehn is regarded as one of the founding fathers of supramolecular chemistry and his lecture, titled “From Matter to Life: Chemistry? Chemistry!”, promises to be an exciting, insightful and informative look into the world of chemistry that links the inanimate to the living.

The French chemist received the Nobel Prize, together with Professor Donald Cram and Mr Charles Pedersen of the US, for their pioneering work in supramolecular chemistry. His innovative research was the premise for an entire new field in chemistry and today plays a central role in numerous disciplines, including molecular biology and nanotechnology.

Opening speeches will be made by Professor Richard Ho Yan-ki, Acting President of CityU, and Mr Jean-Pierre Thébault, Consul General of France in Hong Kong. Professor Lehn will also present a series of lectures on supramolecular chemistry in the Department of Biology and Chemistry on 30 - 31 October 2007.

Professor Cohen-Tannoudji, the 1997 Nobel Laureate in Physics, will visit the University from 3-16 November to discuss the development of methods to cool and trap atoms using laser light, the area of research for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize. He had visited CityU on two previous occasions as part of the France-Hong Kong Distinguished Lecture Series.

The French physicist will also deliver a series of research seminars to students and staff in the Department of Physics and Materials Science. He will receive an Honorary Doctor of Science during the University’s Congregation on 8 November.

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The media are welcome to attend the France-Hong Kong Distinguished Lecture Series at 5 pm, Multi-media Conference Room, 4/F, Cheng Yick-chi Building, CityU, on 30 October. Enquiries can be directed to Craig Francis, Senior Communications Officer, City University of Hong Kong on 3442 6802 or 9028 2758.